Chook Me! - House rabbit advice?

House rabbit advice?

I'm looking for some advice on house rabbits. You know, what to do and what not to do etc. I'm a full time mum and we have 14 rabbits so I know how to look after rabbits and that, it's my over size Dwarf Lop Robbie who I'm thinking of making a house bunny. He is being neutered after xmas. He is so stressed in his hutch I even converted his hutch with the one underneath so he has a 2 tier but he's still paces. Vet said he should calm down after I get him done. But as he's so friendly and he's the only 1 of my rabbits that will come when called and go back in his hutch when let out for a run (has whole garden when I am supervising the chicken when they out of their coop) He gets on with our dog really well and so he'll have comapny when I'm out. I plan on getting a large dog crate for him and a litter tray. He will be in the crate at night and when I am out, not that i'm out for long as it's really only the school runs and shopping so 2 hours max in the day. Should I cover the crate with a blanket a night?? as I know rabbits don't like drafts. Does anyone know any good house rabbit websites?? I have looked on the Rabbit Welfare Fund site as it started out a site for house rabbits, I think. Are there anyothers you know?? Beds!! Do I get a fabric bed or a plastic 1?? He doesn't chew his hutch. Any advice would be great. xx He would be caged up! only at night and when I'm out for his own safety. I can't let him have the run of the garden in the day without me their as I have a veg patch at the end of my garden and he'll eat it all! Yes it's fenced off but he digs really well! mean to say he wouldn't be caged up.

Public Comments

I only ever had one rabbit I bought into the house. He was so much easier than a cat to litter train! He never chewed, well not that I noticed, before I moved him inside. Once inside he chewed everything including my telephone wire and my T.V. Aeriel. http://www.rabbit-food.co.uk/house_rabbits.htm
my rabbit started as a house rabbit but he poo'd everywhere even tho he had a litter tray and he chewed the all the wires and any thing left laying about. he's now out in the garden with his hutch inside the play house, he has the free run of the garden all the time and he's so much happier
I had a netherland dwarf as a house rabbit. He lived in an indoor cage with a plastic bottom & a wire top. I never covered him up. He had a litter tray in his cage & when he was loose in the house he would go back to his cage to use his tray. He got on fine with my dogs & I allowed him out in the evening for a few hours. He did dig at the carpet by the doors though. We shouted no & banged on the floor to stop him. The type of thump a rabbit does at the sight of danger.It worked every time.
it is crual to keep rabbits in doors, they should be out in the garden, were they can run around, not in doors where they are caged up,they make your house smell even when they have been clean out every day.
I keep mine inside.. I don't have a blanket over their crate as I have them in a section that doesn't get much in the way of drafts.. You can check out the House Rabbit Societies page for some info at rabbit.org... I don't agree with everything they say in terms of ethics, but, they do have pretty complete indoor rabbit care info for a pet owner.. I didn't get mine a bed as with mine I figured the risk of them eating it is greater then what they'll derive from laying on it. I also use an X large dog crate with a litter box in the corner.. I like those high back corner litter boxes.. They seem to work a lot better then the shorter cat ones as rabbits can tend to pee over the side of them.. I use aspen bedding for the cage and feline pine for the litter box.. I just dump the litter box everyday and clean the aspen as needed.. I do not leave mine out at all when I'm not home as mine are rascals and chew on everything. They are out when I'm home though and seem perfectly content..
I think Robbie sounds like he would make a great house bunny! You probably already know this, but never never leave the dog and the bunny alone together. Even if they seem like good friends, dogs are predators by nature. It only takes one instant of the dogs instincts overriding his judgement (yes, dogs judge :) for the bunny to become prey. Ok - as for the bedding issue - You don't need to cover the crate at night. If he is going to be inside the crate at night, the only thing he needs is something soft to lay on, such as a towel or fleece blanket or something. Even then, he will probably choose not to lay on the blanket, but will probably lay on the nice cool plastic cage floor. Its good to give him an option though in case he gets cold. Good Luck to you and Robbie ;)
Wow you really have your hands full.... bunnies do chew wires especially..... i don't cover my 2 cages it makes my harlequin dutch nervous put old towels in for bedding should be fine
Try this website http://www.barneyandjemima.com/ From what you have said, I don't think you'll have any problems with training, just make sure that there's no cables he can reach to chew (even the most well behaved bunnies like to chew cables). It's better to have his cage somewhere out of drafts instead of covering it with a blanket. Make sure the floor is solid too, not wire mesh so he doesn't injure his feet. As for beds, my rabbits prefer to sleep on the floor!